SKI SPEED

Broad Question

How much faster is a GS ski run verses a light weight and heavy ski gear?

Specific Question

In a 100ft distance, how many seconds will it take to ski in a GS suit verses a heavy and lightweight ski gear?

Variables:

Independent Variable:

Ski Attire.

Dependent Variable:

Speed Skied (FT/SEC.)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

No ski turns, Stay in Tuck, Same distance every trial, Start&End shall be the same every trial, Same skier, Same Skis&Poles.

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that the GS run will be the fastest speed then Slim fitting, to then follow by Baggy Ski Attire.

Graph of Hypothesis

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Experimental Design

The specific question for my project is... In a 100ft distance is baggy ski attire, slim-fitting ski attire, or a GS Suit fastest?

I think this experiment is very interesting and I am excited to test it!

I shall be conducting this experiment at Cranmore Mountain. I will need two other people to help me with this experiment. The first person’s role will be to stand at the beginning of the line, 100 foot distance. They will need to yell start to the person at the end of the 100 foot distance, so that when I ski by the line, the second person will know to start timing me. I will have three to five trials for each ski attire to make sure I get accurate and reliable results. I will be collecting the data on a printed spreadsheet. After the experiment, I will print off a final draft spreadsheet with the data on it. The entire experiment will be documented using a digital camera. I will bring the camera to school for my science teacher to view. Once I my teacher has given me the OK, I will upload the pictures into the computer to save to my x drive. I will then be able to upload them to my WikiPage, as well as make prints for my display board.

Materials List

- GS suit

- Baggy Ski Attire

- Slim-fitting Ski Attire

- The Mountain

- Measuring Tape

- Pencil

- Copy of spreadsheet

- Digital Camera

- Stopwatch

- Spraypaint or other object to mark lines of distance

- Slalom Skis

- Ski Poles

decrease size

- All other ski equipment

- Two other people (Yeller and Timer)

Detailed Procedure

1. Gather materials.
2. Go to the ski mountain.
3. Put on ski equipment and baggy ski attire.
4. Find a safe, steep, and smooth spot on a trail that is at least 100ft. long.
5. Mark the 100ft distance with measuring tape.
6. Mark lines for the beginning and ending locations with either spraypaint or other object.
7. Have person #1 go to the beginning line ready to yell.
8. Have person #2 at the end line, ready to press the timer.
9. Beginning two feet back from starting line, get the same amount of speed and go directly into a tuck position until passing the end line.
10. Person # 1 yells to person #2 exactly when the skier goes by the beginning line, so that person #2 will then press start on the timer.
11. Person #2 will press stop when the skier goes by the end line, then record the time down on the spreadsheet.
12. Repeat steps 5-11for three trials with baggy ski attire.
13. Have skier put on slim-fitting ski attire.
14. Repeat steps 5-11 while wearing slim-fitting ski attire.
15. Have skier put on GS suit.
    

16. Repeat steps 5-11 while wearing GS suit.
17. One helper (person #1 or #2) should take several photos throughout experiment.
18. Input data into digital spreadsheet at home.
19. Upload and verify pictures with teacher so they can be put onto Wiki Page.

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Background Research
“Friction”
Friction happens when one thing touches another. It resists sliding or rolling motion. If you Rollerblade lets say, friction occurs between
the smooth wheels of your Skates and a Surface like a Driveway or a Sidewalk. Friction also occurs where the Tires meet the surface of the Highway. Friction creates heat. Rub your hands together quickly. Do you feel the heat?
“Aerodynamics”

The Science of how air moves around something, especially a fast moving vehicle like a Racing car.

“Keep a low Profile”

Aerodynamics is the study of the way air flows around objects. A car has to push a hole through the air as it moves, which gets increasingly difficult as speed increases. So the first rule of aerodynamics is to keep the hole small.
"Video"
In this document/video there saying how something heavier doesn't go as far as something light, by testing it to get results.
It related to my project because it would make me think that i would possibly go faster in a GS suit verses a Baggy attire, but it is a confusing concept when you also are aware that it has proven that the heavier you are the faster you go, but Ski racers wear GS suites for speed so i find it very confusing but the results will give me the answer.

References

• Wood ford, Chris, ET AL. cool stuff and how it works. new york, NY: dk publishing inc, 2005. Print.

Parker, Lewis. Force and Motion. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning, 2006. Print.

• Wood ford, Chris, ET AL. cool stuff and how it works. new york, NY: dk publishing inc, 2005. Print.
• Hammond, Richard. Can You Feel the Force? New York, NY: Susan Leonard, 2006. Print.
• Newtons Law of Motion 2: Force,Mass and Acceleration. Dir. ESOcast. 18 Apr. 2010. you tube.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2012.

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Results

Data Table

Graphs

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Data Analysis

Conclusion

The original purpose of this experiment was to find out if ski attire affects ski speed. The results of the experiment were that a GS suit was the fastest ski attire recording, with a time of 14.1(ft/sec.) Following the GS suit was the Lightweight/Slim-fitting ski attire at a time of 14.8 (ft/sec.) Lastly, was the Heavy-fit/baggy ski attire at a time of 15.3 (ft/sec.)

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Discussion

My hypothesis was that the GS suit will be the fastest, followed by slim fitting, and then Baggy Ski Attire. My results did support my hypothesis. Some patterns and trends that my data showed was that the speeds stayed in between 14 and 15 seconds in each trial. There was a relationship between the independent and dependent variables. I think the test went very smoothly. I followed my procedure the exact way it was written to try to get the most accurate data. If I could improve on the project I would do so by testing more than three ski attires. I would also put a little bit more effort towards responsibility and pictures to make sure they were ready and done well on the due date. An interesting future study could maybe be testing the project while doing a ski course.